Selective beverage vendor



Dec. 1K5, 1942. M, s KlNG 2,305,348

SELECTIVE BEVERGE VENDOR Filed Aug 4, 1940 '7 Sheets-Sheet. 1

.M/LLEQ 5. K/NG,

Dec. 15, 1942.. M. s. KING SELECTIVE BEVERAGE VENDOR Filed Aug. 4,- 1940'7 Sheets-Sheet 2 hm): 1Mo?,

A1/1.1.5@ 5. K1A/G,

511 huw/11 Dee. 15, 1942. M, s, .(.NG 2,305,348

SELECTIVE BEVERAGE VENDOR '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 4, 1940 ano-,swig

Dec. 15,1942. M. s. .KING y SELECTIVE BEVERAGE VEN-DOR y '7 Sheets-Sheet4 I Filed Apg. 4, 1940 lllll IlIlI Ill IIIIIZ lllllll l l llll Illl IlDec; 15, 1942. r Ms. K1N@ 2,365,348

SELECTIVE BEVERAGE VENDOR Filed Au'g. A, 1940 7 sheets-sheet e l I l 'l152 l 151 i nventor:

@a /55 Bg WM Gttorneg .w #ai Dec. 15, 19,42. M. s. KING SELECTIVEBEVERAGE VENDOR '7 sheets-sneu '7 Filed Aug. 4, 1940 Gttorneg ent sizedcontainers.

Patented Dec. i5,l 1942- sELEcrivE BEVERAGE vENDoa Miller S. King,Berkeley, Calif. Application August 4. 19.40, Serial No. 351,325'

zo claims. (c1. sla-se) This invention relates to vendingdevices andpertains particularly to a device which may be employed to vend any oneof a plurality of differ- The device of this invention isadaptedprimarily for the storage and subsequent vending of a comparativelylarge number of containers which may be of different sizes, wherefore'from a single vending .device an individual may select one or morediilerent commodities.

One of the particular objects of the invention is to provide abottle-vending machine provided with suitable coin-controlled mechanismwhich is adapted, upon the insertion of a proper coin, to permit accessby the user to a single cmpartment in the machine from which a given andpreselected bottle may be withdrawn and which is characterizedparticularly by the provision of an internal storage receptacle adaptedto receive a plurality of different sized or shaped bottles, which mayequivalently be withdrawn from the device by the user.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a vending device oil-thecharacter set forth, providedv with a .coin-contxiolled vendingdischarge member and a relatively movable storage` receptacle. throughwhich, by relative movement of the vending discharge membefand thestorage receptacle, the user may bring the same into relative alinementsuch tha-'t `a bottle or other conany preselected tainer may bewithdrawn from portion of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vending device of thecharacter described, which is adapted tostore and subsequently vend acomparatively large number of containers with a minimum requirement ofiloor spacevfor the device. A further object of the invention is Atoprovide a vending jedevice characterized by the provision of areceptacle member adapted to receive a plurality of bottles of diierentsizesand shapes, the bottles of a particular size or shape beingarranged in a series ina compartment or subdivision of such receptacleand the comparti'nents deilning the several series of bottles beingarranged in a generally side-by-side relation, and including means ineach compartment for causing the bottles of the contained series to movetoward one end of such compartment, together with dispensing meanslocated at the side of the receptacle and relatively movable withrespect thereto, wherefore the dispensing means may bedisposed indispensing relation to any one of said series of bottles for thewithdrawal of a designated or preselected bottle from the device.

'I'lle device of the present invention comprises, essentially, anexternal housing member which carries an internal receptacle togetherwith refrigerating means adapted to maintain the contents at a desiredsubatmospheric temperature, and an external dispensing member through Kwhich bottles may be withdrawn from the inter-1 'nal' receptacle. .Theexternal dispensing means and the internal receptacle are' mounted foraelaj tive'moveme'nt with respect -to one another and the internalreceptacle is provided with' suitable compartments adapted to receive aplurality of containers such as bottles in an upright position anddisposed in a series arrangement therewithin, the relative movementbetween said receptacle and the external dispensing means lbeing such asy to permit the user to bring any one'of such series drawings illustratefour embodiments of bottles or other containers into alinement with thedischarge or dispensing member for withdrawai of one container.

The relative movement between the vdispensing member and the internalreceptacle may be secured in any one of several manners, as by arrangingthe dispensing member in ilxed relation upon the externalv housing andproviding for a movable internalreceptacle, or vice versa. Similarly, arectilinearinternal receptacle adapted for longitudinal relativemovement or a circular internal receptacle `adapted for rotativerelative movement may be provided.

Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the ensuingdescription of certain preferred embodiments thereof, or will beapparent from such description. 'I'he accompanying vention, andreferring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal Verticalv section of one form of dispensingdevice ,according to the present invention; t'

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken on llino 2 2 in Fig'. l,said line being further located Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken online 3 3 in Fig. 2, showing details of the dispensing mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly broken away, correspondingfto Fig. 2, showingthe dispensingmember in operated position, and illustrating'the'withdrawal ofone bottle of a series;

Fig. 5 'is aseotional detail ofthe construction taken on line 5-5 inFig.l 2;

Fig. 5a is a transverse sectional detail taken on line Sat-,5a in Fig. 5on somewhat enlarged scale; y

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on' line of the irl- 6-8 in Fig. 2,showing the construction of the supporting means which are provided forsupport of a given series of containers within the device; I

Fig. 7 is a, transverse sectional detail of the dispensing mechanism,taken on line 1-1 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified-form of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section thereof corresponding to Fig. 1 andtaken on line 9-9 in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section thereof, taken on line Ill-I in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a sectional transverse detail thereof Fig. 12 is a Viewcorresponding to Fig. 10, showing a further modification of thestructure;

Fig'. 1-3 is a partly broken-away transverse section of an alternativeembodimentof the invention;

Figs. 14 and 15 are perspective views of two forms of internalcontainer-receptacle elements which may be employed in the form ofinvention shown in Fig. ,13;

Fig. V16 is a partly broken-away plan view of the form of inven-tionshown in Fig. 13, taken on line |6|6 therein; I

Figs.`11 and 18 are perspective views of two types of containersupporting means which may be employed with the'. internalcontainer-receptacle elements shown'l respectively in Figs. 14 and 15;and

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a follower member which may be used inthe form of device shown in Figs. 13A and 16, to force a given series ofcontainers forwardly into position to be dispensed from the device.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 7 of the drawings, the device is shown ascomprising an external housing which is preferably of an insulatedconstruction and formed of end walls 2, side Walls 3, a top wall 4(which may be formed as a central partition 4a and end partitions 4b,the latter being hingedly mounted to the center partition 4a), and abottom wall 5.

A storage receptacle 6 is provided within the housing said storagereceptacle being provided with side walls 6a and 6b and end walls 6c,and in the present form of the invention being made of less length thanthe interior dimension of the housing I and being mounted forlongitudinal movement within said housing, as through the agency ofroller means 1 mounted on the housing 6 and carried by a fixed rail orangle iron member 8 secured to the side walls 3 of said housing.Suitable means are provided for effecting the longitudinal movement ofthe supply receptacle 6, such as a hand wheel 9 carried by a verticallyextending shaft which is rotatably mounted on the partition 4d and`extends therethrough into the interior of the housing I above thestorage receptacle 6, said shaft being provided with a spur .gear Aorpinion |2 on the lower end thereof meshing with a gear rack |3 fixedlysecured to the supply receptacle 8 at the respective ends thereof, asindicated at |4.

The supply receptacle 6 is divided into a plurality of transverselyextending supply compartments |a, I5b, |5c, etc., through the agency ofa. plurality of transversely extending partitions I6, each supplycompartment I5a, etc., being adapted to store a series of bottles or thelike Ila, |1b, |1c, etc. Within each supply compartment |5a, etc.,vIprovide a removable shelf member 2|, the details of which are shown moreparticularly in Figs. 45 and 6, each of the shelf members 2| being ofthe same general shape and description and being interchangeable Withinthe compartments 5a, etc. The shelf members 2| are adjustably mountedfor vertical movement within the respective supply compartments, asthrough the agency of shelf support brackets 22, which may be positionedat any given height with respect -to the depth of the supply compartmentthrough the agency of a support rail 23 at each end of the compartment,each support rail being provided with a plurality of ver-tically spacedopenings adapted to receive coactingly shaped projections on the shelfbrackets 22 in a known manner. In this particular embodiment of theinvention the shelf members 2| are preferably disposed in an inclinedrelation, i. e., inclined upwardly toward the discharge side of thedevice, in order -to bring the top of the bottles as high as possible atthe discharge side yet allow the bottles to pass freely under the rack|3, all as will be more 'specifically brought out hereinafter.

The dispensing mechanism is located medially of the length of thehousing and is indicated generally at 3|. This mechanism is convenientlysecured to the central partition 4a and provides an aperture 32 locatedimmediately above the end bottle in each of the contiguous series ofbottles |1a, etc., such a bottle being indicated at 33 in Figs. 1 and 2,for example. A suitable cover for the opening 32 is provided, such as ahinged lid 34 provided with a clear glass or composition window 35 andpivotally mounted to the partition 4a as at 36. Suitable means areprovided for preventing the lid 34 from being opened until a proper coinhas been inserted in the coin mechanism, the latter being indicatedgenerally at 40 in Figs. 1, 3, and 7, and alsokfor preventing the lidfrom opening unless one of the supply compartments |5a, etc., isproperly disposed immediately below the opening 32. The mechanism forpreventing -the lid from opening at an improper time may comprise a linkarm 31 pivotally secured to the lid 34 through a bell crank arm 38 atone end and pivotally secured as at 3l to a release arm or bolt 39 whichis slidably mounted v on the coin mechanism. Pivotally secured to thepartition 4a I provide a second link arm 4| provided with a cam slot 42engaged by a pin 43 in the arm 31, said link arm 4| being provided witha downwardly projecting detent 44 adapted to engage either of twodiam'etrically spaced recesses 45 provided near the circumference of ahub member 4'6 secured to the shaft |I. The spur gear or pinion |2 is ofsuch diameter, for example, that lone-half revolution thereof will causethe receptacle 6 to move longitudinally a distance corresponding to theseparation of the contiguous partition I6, and the recesses 45 in thehub member 46 are so arranged that when one of the recesses is alinedbelow the detent 44, one of the.

supply compartments |5a, etc., will be disposed directly below theopening 32.

When the lid member 34 is in its closed position, as indicated in Figs.1 and 2, the pin 43 carried by the link arm 31 is ata forward positionin the cam slot 42, holding the link arm 4| clear of the hub member4|i.A In this condition the hand wheel 3 may be operated by the user,and the receptacle 5 moves longitudinally to any desired position. Theuser may inspect the containers or bottles within the receptacle byglancing downwardly through the clear glass partition 35, until thedesired bottle is in view, at which time he may insert a proper coininto thejcoin is actually a proper coin it will drop downwardly throughthe coin-selecting mechanism to aposition such as that shown at 52. Inthis position,

the knob 34 on the lid 34 may be lifted. upwardlyl and the lid 34 swungrearwardly to a position such as that indicated in Fig. 4, and duringthis upward movement of the lid the link arm' 31 will Y carry the bar 39rearwardly, force the .coin from the' position 52 into a coin receptacle53, and if the hand wheel is properly alined so that the detent 44 willengage in a recess 45, the door is completely opened. However, if thecoin is not present at the position 52 or if a coin of improper diameteris present, the rearward movement of the bolt 39 will be stopped throughthe agency of a spring-biased detent member 54 positioned to4 engage oneor more notches 55 providedl in the bolt 39, said detent member-beingalso adapted for engagement with the coin at the position 52 and to bethus lifted away by the cam action of such coin as it is carriedrearwardly by the volt 39, so as to avoid engagement with one or more ofthe notches 55. This mechanism is a more or less standardized mechanismemployed in other forms o i coin-controlled devices, and is illusasoma finlet 5I of thecoin mechanism 4I, and if the coin spring 31 will beextended and placed under greater tension, such tension serving to forcethe series of bottles which may rest upon the slide 2| forwardly due tothe pressure of the plate Sla.

In order to' facilitate the loading of a plurality of bottles in a givenseries within a given supply compartment, I preferably provide suitablemeans for fixing the follower 5l at its extreme rearward position duringthe loading operation, as through the agency ofa vertically slidabledetent mem- 'ber 1I provided with a lip 12 adapted to engage tratedherein merely from the standpoint of completeness. It will-beappreciated that other types of coin-controlled mechanisms mayequivalentlybe employed, without departure from this invention.

After the lid 341s opened a bottle may be withdrawn from the supplycompartment, as indicated at 33A' in Fig. 4, and for the purpose ofcrowding' the series of. bottles forwardly in this particular form ofthe invention so that a new home 33B win be brought into the positionoocupied by the bottle 33A, I provide a follower member 6| slidablymounted upon the shelf member 2| land spring-biased in aforwarddirection. 'I'hls follower member 5 I vis more particularly illustratedin Figs. 4, A5, and 6, as is the construction of the shelf memberitself, and referring thereto the shelf member is shown as formed as ailat sheet bent upwardly .at the sides and over at the .top into ageneral U cross-section, providing slides 2|a on which the severalbottles of ,a series may rest, as shown in Fig. 4, and on which thefollower member 6| may ride.

' The follower 6I is formed as a. base plate`62 adapted to rest upon theupper surface of the slide 2 I a and a subjacent flange member 63posivtioned -below the slide members y2Ia (and inter-l locking therewithagainst vertical displacement the upper edge of the plate lla, saiddetent member 1I being slidably mounted (as shown particularly in Figs.5 and 5a) on an upwardly -extending guide member 13 secured to the sidewall of the receptacle. After the desired number of bottles is placedwithin a particular supply compartment the detent member 1| may bedisengaged from the plate Bla by pulling upwardly on the detent memberthrough the agency ofa handle 14, allowing the plate Bla to come intoengagement with the series of bottles, after which the detent member maybe pushed downwardly to get it out of the way and allow freelongitudinal movement of the receptacle 6..' Such a lowered yposition ofthe detent member is shown in Fig. 2.

It will be appreciated that as a bottle 33A is withdrawn through theopening 32, as illustrated vin Fig. 4, the remaining bottles in thatparticular series will be forced toward the forward side wall 6a of thereceptacle 5, as above described, and that it is necessary to provide asuitable stop member to prevent they next succeeding bottle 33B frombeing forced into the extreme forward position, which' may be consideredto constitute a "discharge zone, i. e., placed in position forwithdrawal through the opening 32 after completion of the withdrawal ofbottle 33A. For this purpose I provide a ilxed stop member 16 secured y40 to the central partition 4a and extending downwardly therefrom to alevel well below the upper or top end of the bottle in the series. Thisstop member is positinedrearwardly from the wall 6a a distanceapproximately equal to the width of a supply compartment I5a, etc., soas to be lintermediate the position of the two adjacent bottles ,locatedat the discharge zone; and is positioned across `a signicant proportionof the width of the opening 32 (in the direction of longitudinalmovement ofthe' receptacle 3). When a bottle 33A is withdrawn, thepurchaser is thus prevented fron withdrawing another bottle withoutagain operatingthe dispensing mechanism,

of the follower @I lfrom the shelf memberl 2|), 4

and a follower plate 6I'a extending upwardly to a positionpreferably-such as to always fall\above the middle of the height of anybottlewhich the Isupply compartments are adapted to recei've (in orderto properly force the seriesv of bottles forwardly toward dispensingyposition). For the purpose. of biasing thefollower 6l forwardly, I

l may provide a cable member 64 secured to the base plate 62 andextending forwardly to'adjacent the forward end of the shelf member 2i,

thence over a pivotally mounted pulley 65, thencel rearwardly over apivotally mounted pulley' 63 which is secured to the rearward end of theshelf v.member 2l through the` agency of a tension spring v61, the cable64 then extending forwardly to the end of the shelf member 2| -and beingsecured thereto as at 33. Itwill be apparent that.

as the follower member is moved rearwardly. i. e.,

away from the position of the pulley 33, the. ze

including the insertion of a new coin, inasmuch as the longitudinalmovement of the receptacle 6 is prevented 'as long as the lid 34 is inraised position, and it-will be'l necessary for the purchaser to lowerthe lid 34 to its closed position, rotate the hand wheel 9 so as to movethe receptacle -5 longitudinally and aline an adjacent supplycompartment with the opening 32 before another bottle can be withdrawn.This will cause the receptacle 6 and the particular supply compartmentwhichwas previously alined with the opening 32 to move away from theposition of the opening 32on whichoccasion the remaining botties in theseries from` which the bottle 33A was withdrawn will move forwardlytoward the side stop member 16 due to its location intermediate theposition of two adjacent bottles as illustrated in said Fig. 2. If thepurchaser wishes to remove another bottle of thesame type as thatremoved at 33A,'it is merely necessary for him to again operate the handwheel 9 to bring the same supply compartment under the opening 32, atwhich time a new coin may be inserted and the withdrawal procedurerepeated. The partitions I'B are preferably slotted as at 11 whereforerelative movement between the receptacle 6 and the stop member 16 ispermitted.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen thaty in thisembodiment of the invention the supply receptacle 6 is provided with asuiiicient number of partitions I6 to provide nine supply compartments|5a, |5b, through |51', and that these several supply compartments maybe caused to accommodate bottles of different height, by placing theshelf members 2| at the proper level below-the top edge of thereceptacle 8 to bring the tops of the bottles in general alinement.Dispensing devices or vending machines for bottled goods haveVheretofore been proposed which would provide for the storage anddispensing of a plurality of bottles of any one given size or shape, butthe invention of the present application provides for the first time forthe dispensing of any one of a plurality of different sized bottles,within the capacity limits and size limits of the particular supplyreceptacle employed.

The space within the housing I which accommodates the movable supplyreceptacle is preferably maintained under refrigeration, as through theagency of a refrigeration unit 8| provided with a power-driven fanindicated at 82 which will cause a positive circulation of cold air pastand through the receptacle 6, the end walls 6c and partitions IB ofwhich are preferably perforated as indicated at 83 to facilitate freecirculation of the refrigerated air. The perforations in successivepartitions are preferably staggered, as may be seen from an inspectionof Fig. 4, so that the air circulation is prevented from channelingthrough the receptacle, to insure proper cooling of the bottles. It willbe appreciated that the space 84 below the bottom wall 5 of therefrigerated chamber may be employed for the storage of empty bottles,according to the requirements of the particular use to which the vendingmachine is placed, and the space 85 immediately below the vendingstructure may be used for storage of bottles which are to be chargedinto the receptacle inasmuchas thespace 85 is also under refrigerationby reason of the return air circulation to the fan 82.

In Figs. 8 through l1 I have illustrated a modified form ofconstruction, in which the supply receptacle is maintained in arelatively fixed relation, and the dispensing mechanism is movedrelative thereto. This construction provides a greater capacity and agreater varietyV in the selection of different-bottled goods than thefirstdescribed form of the invention, and referring to thesegures, ahousing is indicated at 9|, provided with an internal xed receptacle 92having end walls 93 and a plurality of partitions 94 corresponding tothe partitions I6 above. The partitions 94 and the end Walls 93 define aplurality of supply compartments 95a, 95h, etc., through 95m, each ofwhich is provided with an adjustable shelf member 96 corresponding tothe shelf member 2| above, and each shelf member 96 is provided with afollower plate 91 which mayjbei'spring-biased in the manner illustratedv particularly in Fig. 6. A dispensing mechanism is indicated at 98,including a door member 99 corresponding to the door member 3l above,and

this dispensing mechanism includingl the door 5 member 99 is mounted ona flexible slide |00 guided and supported in suitable slots |0| formedin the housing 9| and adapted for longitudinal movement with respect tothe housing, i. e., in a direction transverse to the extension of thesup- 10 ply compartment 95a, etc. The door member 99 is located adjacentone end of the several supply compartments, in a manner corresponding tothe location of the opening 32 in Fig. 4, and relative movement of thedispensing mechanism with respect to the supply receptacle is obtainedthrough the agency of a hand wheel |02 corresponding to the hand wheel 9which is geared through a pinion |03 to a fixed rack |04 which maybesecured to the upper wall |05 of the housing.v A suitable door |06 isprovided for access to the interior of the housing, to fill the respec--tive supply compartments. 'I'he coin mechanism and the locking meansfor iixing the dispensing mechanism 98 with respect to any one 4of the 5several supply compartments 95a etc., mayconform to the structureillustrated in connection with the iirst form of the invention, as willbe apparent to one skilled in the art. The free end of the slide |00 maybe allowed to pass into the space below the supply receptacle 92,suitable guides being provided therefor to prevent the guides frombecoming bent or otherwise deformed, as should be apparent, and Ipreferably provide a layer of iiexible insulating 3;, material such aswool felt at the inner surface of the slide |00, as shown at |01, toinsulate the same from the refrigerated space within which the supplyreceptacle 92 is located, and thus minimize condensation of atmospheric4;) moisture on the outer surface of the slide, which might beconsidered objectionable.

The operation of the form of vending'device shown in Figs. 8-11 isentirely com-parable to that described in connection with the formshownin Figs. 1 through 7, with the exception that operationyof the handwheel |02 will cause the slide |00 and the entire dispensing mechanism98 to move longitudinally of the housing. A suitable stop member |08,corresponding to the stop member 16 in the flrst form of the invention,will be provided in fixed relation to the dispensing mechanism 98, andthe partition 94 will be slotted as at |09 to permit free relativelongitudinal movement of the dispensing mech- 5r anisrn through and tothe respective supply compartments 95a, etc.

The form of device illustrated in Fig. l2 is essentially the same asthat shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the receptacle 6(corresponding to the receptacle 6) is mounted in a transverselyinclined position on rollers 1 and rails 8' whereby the several bottlesor containers of each series in a .particular supply'compartment |5'would -be caused to move toward the dispensing side of the device undervthe influ- 6" ence of gravity, thereby eliminating the requirement of abiasing member such as shown at 6|. In Fig. 12 reference numeralscorresponding to those used in connection with Figs. l to 1 have beenemployed on similar parts.'

other modification of thel invention in which the various containers orarticles to be dispensed are arranged in a plurality of radiallyextending series, the desired relative movement of the parts In Figs. 13through 19 I have illustrated an- .rality of vertically spaced slots atthe inner end to seclire they selective withdrawal of one or the otherof the confsiners being obtained by rotary movement. A heat insulatingexternal housing is provided, carrying a support spider at a level suchas to denne a space ||2 at the upper end of the housing ||`0 withinwhich the container receptacle ||3, of generally'cylindrical shape, isdisposed, and a space ||4 below the space ||2 within which arefrigeration unit (not shown) may be disposed as in the rst describedform of the invention. The receptacle ||3 is rotatably mounted onj thespider III, to which a stub shaft ||5 may be attached in a position toreceive a bearing tube ||5 carrying a spider ||1 upon which thereceptacle ||3 -is mounted. The receptacle ||3 is thus rotatable aboutthe stub shaft |I5, and the desired rotation thereof may be securedthrough the agency of a drive shaft I I8 corresponding to the shaft Ilabove described and extending through the housing portion of thecoin-operated dispensing mechanism 3|, which may be of the same type asthat shown above. 'I'he shaft ||8 preferably terminates ina knob or handwheel 9. The dispensing mechanism 3|, carrying the shaft IIS, is

conveniently secured to the upper wall IIS of the housing llll, theshaft through a suitable opening |2| therein. The

||8 being extended shaft I I8 may be provided -with a transverselyextending pin |22 adjacent its lower end, meshingv with a slottedcoupling member |23 which is secured to the tube ||6 whereby thereceptacle' ||3 may be rotated by operation of the hand wheel 9. l

The receptacle ||3 is provided with a plurality of radially arrangedsupply compartments each adapted to receive a plurality of containers orbottles such as are indicated at |25 in Fig. 16.

The supply compartments are arranged, for

compactness, to receive alternately two and three bottles,Vrespectively, the two-bottle supply compartments being designated at |26and the threebottle supply compartments being designated at |21. In thisspecific embodiment, seven twobottle supply compartments |26 and seventhreebottle supply compartments |21 are employed.

Referring particularly to Figs. 14 and 15, the

supply compartments |26`and |21 may be formed as sheet metal box-likemembers provided with laterally projecting flanges |26a and |21a alongthe lower edges of the side walls, which may be spot-welded orotherwise' secured to the bottom wall |28 of the receptacle I3. Each ofthe supply compartments is provided with a'shelf member which is adaptedto be positioned in any One of a plurality of vertically spaced levelswithin such supplycoznpartment, the respective shelf members forvthetwoand three-bottle supply compartments being illustrated in Figs. 17and 18, at `|3| and |32. Each of these shelf members is provided with aslidably mounted backing plate which may be of the type illustrated inFig. 19 at |33, disposed on opposed longitudinally extending guides |340n the respective shelf members, such backing plates being illustratedin position in Figs. 13l and 16. A suitable biasing' member such as aspring |35 is provided to bias4 wall of the Supply compartments |26 and|21 as at |31 and |38, and provide matingly positioned tab members |33and |4| on the lower wall of the respective shelf members to positionthe inner ends of the shelf members |3| and |32, while 'the outer endsof said shelf members may be 34 shown in connection with the rstdescribedform of the device, the lid member |52 being provided with atransparent window or the like |54 and being linked to thecoin-controlled dispensing mechanism so as to be raised manually onlywhen a bottle or series of bottles |55 is disposed immediately below theopening I5I. y

The manner of operation of thisform of device is entirely comparable tothat above described, the receptacle ||3 being rotated through theagency of the hand wheel 3 until the desired bottle is discerniblethrough the window |54, the necessary coin is inserted in the coinselector mechanism 40, and the lid |52 may v then be raised and thedesired bottle |55 withdrawn. During the withdrawal operation theposition of the receptacle ||3 will be fixed as described above inconnection with the first form of the invention,' and as` the outermostbottle |55 is withdrawn, the follower or backing plate |33 will forcethe adjacent inwardly disposed bottles outwardly against a stop member|56 corresponding in function and position to the stop members 16 and|08 above. In this connection the side walls of respective supplycompartments |26 and |21 will be slotted as at |26' and |21' tov permitrotation of the receptacle A| I3. i

The shelf |32 mounted in the compartment |21 shown in section in Fig. 13is disposed at its lowerinost level within such supply compartment,accommodating-bottles |55 of the maxiit will be seen that the upper endsof the various l bottles are disposed at substantially the same level,in position to be-grasped by the-.hand of the user.

' The bottom wall |28 of the receptacle ||3 .may be provided withopenings to facilitate crosscirculation of the cooling air from theassociated refrigerating element, if desired, the open struc- `ture ofthe support spider ||1 further contributing to such circulation.

Numerous modifications of the herein disclosed 'forms of apparatus willoccur to those skilled in the art, and I obviously do not choose to belimited to these specic modifications, but rather to the scope of thesubjoined claims. For example, it will be appreciated that the formshown in Figs. 8-11 may be modified according to the teaching of Fig.12, without departing from the spirit and scope of my present invention.

1. -A vending device of the character described, which comprises: anexternal housing, partition `upright ment along the length of suchcompartment,

receptacle; biasing means in each of said com' partments, saidcompartments being adapted to receive a plurality of containers inupright position and disposed in a series arrangement along the lengthof the respective compartments, and saidbiasing means being positionedto bias the containers of such series toward said one end into saiddischarge zone; a shelf member disposed within each of said supplycompartments: positioning means associated with each of saidcompartments and cooperating with said shelf member to position the samerality of vertically spaced positions to deflne a. lower wall for eachof said compartments; a coin-controlled dispensing member mounted onsaid external housing and relatively movable with respect to said supplyreceptacle, said dispensing member having a dispensing opening locatedadjacent said discharge zone of said supply receptacle, and a movabledoor member adapted for movement between positions covering and exposingsaid aperture; and an actuating member for effecting relative movementbetween said dispensing member and said supply receptacle whereby saidaperture may be placed in alinement with any one of said supplycompartments.

2. A vending device as set forth in claim 1, saidV supply receptaclebeing rectilinear in shape with said plurality of elongated supplyreceptacles being arranged in side-by-sidesparallely relation, and therelative movement of said supply receptacle and said dispensing memberbeing linear in a direction transverse to the direction of elongation ofsaid supply compartments.

3.` A vending device as set forth in claim l, said supply receptaclebeing generally circular in shape, with said supply compartments beingdisposed in radial side-by-side relation and said discharge zone beinggenerally circular in shape and dened by the radially outward'ends ofsaid supply compartments.

4. A vending device as set forth in claim l, said dispensing memberbeing xed relative to said housing and said Asupply receptacle beingrelatively movable within said housing, and com# prising in addition astop member flxedly secured to said housing and extending inwardly ofsaid supply receptacle at a position intermediate the positions of twoadjacent containers in said series arrangement at the aforesaiddischarge zone of said supply receptacle, the side walls of said supplyreceptacle being provided with an opening through which said stop membermay pass upon movement of said receptacle with respect to said housing.

5. A vending device of the character described, which comprises: anexternal housing; partition means defining a supply receptacle withinsaid housing, said supply receptacle comprising a plurality of elongatedsupply compartments arranged in side-by-side parallel relation and intransverse alinement with one another at one end to denne a dischargezone of said supply receptacle, each supply compartment being adapted toreceive a plurality of containers in position disposed in a seriesarrangeand including means for biasing the containers of such seriestoward said one end of. such comin any one of a plu.

partment; a coin-controlled dispensing member mounted on said externalhousing, said dispensing member and said supply receptacle beingrelatively movable, one with respect to the other in a directiontransverse to the length of said elongated supply compartments, saiddispensing member being provided with a dispensing opening locatedadjacent the aforesaid discharge zone of said supply receptacle and amovable door member adapted for movement between positions covering andexposing said aperture; and an actuating member for effecting relativemovement between said dispensing member and said supply receptaclewhereby said aperture may be placed in alinement with any one of saidsupply compartments.

6. A vending devicevas set forth in claim 5, said dispensing memberbeing xed relative to said housing, and said supply receptacle beingrelatively movable within said housing.

7. Avending device as set forth in claim 5, said supply receptacle beingfixed relative to said housing, and said dispensing member beingslidably mounted on said housing for relative movement with respect tosaid supply receptacle.

8. A vending device as set forth in claim 5, said dispensing memberbeing fixed relative to said housing, and said supply receptacle beingrelatively movable within said housing, and comprising in addition astop member secured to said housing and extending inwardly of saidsupply receptacle at a position intermediate the positions, of twoadjacent bottles in said series arrangement at the aforesaid dischargezone of said supply receptacle.

9. A vending device as set forth in claim' 5, said supply receptaclebeing fixed relative to said housing, and said dispensing member beingslidably mounted on said housing for relative Amovement with respect tosaid supply receptacle,

and comprising in addition a stop member secured to said housing andextending inwardly of said supply receptacle at a position intermediatethe positions of two adjacent containers in said series arrangement atthe aforesaid discharge zone of said supply receptacl 10. A vendingdevice as set forth in claim 5, said means for biasing said containersof each series comprising a spring biased pressure plate slidablymounted with respect to such compartment for longitudinal movementtherein, and adapted to engage the last container in such series andresiliently bias the same towards said one end.

11. A vending device of the character described, which comprises: anexternal housing; partition means defining a supply receptacle withinsaid housing, said supply receptacle comprising a plurality of elongatedgenerally horizontally extending supply compartments ar- I ranged inside-by-side parallel relation and in alinement with one another at saidone end to define a discharge zone of said supply receptacle;

a shelf member and cooperating positioningV means disposed within eachsupply compartment and adjustable vertically therein at any one of aplurality of vertical positions to establish a lower wall for saidcompartment, each supply compartment being adapted to receive aplurality of containers in upright positions disposed in a seriesarrangement along the length of such compartment, and each shelf memberincluding a biasing member positioned to engage the last container ofsuchy series and resiliently bias the containers of said series towardsaid one end of said supply receptacle.

2,305,348 vsuch compartment; a coin-controlled dispensing' membermounted on said external housing, said dispensing member and said supplyreceptacle being relatively movable one with respect to the other in adirection transverse to vthe length of said elongated supplycompartment, said dispensing member being provided with a dispensing vopening located adjacent the aforesaid discharge zone of said supplyreceptacle and the movable door member adapted for movement betweenpositions covering and exposing said aperture; and an actuating memberfor effecting relative movement between said dispensing member and saidsupplyv receptacle whereby said aperture may be placed in alinement withany one of said supply compartments.

12. A vending device as set-forth in claim 11,

said dispensing member being xed relative to said housing, and saidsupply receptacle being relatively movable within,said housing.

13. A vending device as set forth in claim 1l, said supplyreceptaclebeing xed relative to said housing, and said dispensing membervbeing slidably mounted on said housing for` relative movevnient withrespect to said supply receptacle,

14. A vending device as set forth in claim 11,-

said dispensing member being xed relative to said housing, and saidsupply receptacle being relatively movable Vwithin said housing, andcomprising in addition a stop member securedto said housing andextending inwardly of said supply receptacle at a position intermediatethe positions of two adjacentcontainers in said series arrangement atthe aforesaid 15. A vending device as set forth in claim 11,

two outermost containers in said radially exdischarge zone of ysaidsupply receptacle for effecting rotation thereof whereby saidaperturev may be placed in alinement -with any one of said supplycompartments.

17. The vending device set forth in claim 16, l

and comprising in addition a stop member 'sev cured to said housing andextending `into said supply receptacle at a position intermediate thetending'series at the aforesaid discharge zone of said supplyreceptacle.

18. A vending device of the character described, which comprises: anexternal housing; a

cylindrical internal supply receptacle mountedl a shelf member disposedwithin each of said supv ply compartments, said shelf member beingprovided with an upwardly extending pressure'plate member slidablymounted thereon for movement in a radial direction and biasing meansoperatively associated with said pressure plate member to bias the sameradially outwardly; a coincontrolled dispensing member mounted on saidexternal housing and provided with a dispensing opening located adjacentthe aforesaid discharge zone of said supply receptacle and a movabledoor member adapted for`movement between positions 1 covering andexposing said aperture; and an actuating member extending exteriorly ofsaid said supply receptacle being xed relative to said housing. and saiddispensing member being slidably mounted on said housing for relativemovement with respect to said supply receptacle. and comprising inaddition a stop member secured to said housing and extending inwardly ofsaid supply receptacle at a position intermediate the positions of twoadjacent containers in said series arrangement at the aforesaiddischarge zone of said supply receptacle.

16. A vending device of the character described. which comprises: anexternal housing a cylindrical internal supply receptacle mounted forrotation about a generally '.vertical axis; par-A tition means in saidsupply receptacle defining' a plurality of radially arranged elongatedsupply compartments,"`"the radially outer ends of said supplycompartments being arranged in peripheral alinement to dene a generallycircular discharge zone, each supply compartment being adaptedto'lreceive a plurality of ccntainers in upright position disposed in aradially extending series, and including means for biasing thecontainers of such series radially outwardly toward said discharge zone;a shelf -member disposed within each of said supply compartments;4positioning means associated with each of said sul ply compartmentsandl cooperating with said shelf member to position the same in any oneof a plurality of vertically spaced positions to define a lower wall foreach of said compartments; a coin-controlled dispensing member mountedon said external1 housing and provided with a dispensing opening locatedadjacenty the -aforesaid discharge zone of said supply receptacle and amovable door member adapted for movement between positions covering` andexposing -said aperture; and an actuating member extending exteriorly ofsaid housing and associated with 75 housing and associated with saidsupply receptacle for effecting rotation thereof whereby said aperturemay be placed in alinement with any one of said supply compartments.

19. The vending device set forth in claim 18,

'and comprising in addition a stop member 'fixedlyA secured to saidhousing and extending into said supply receptacle at a positionintermediate the two outermost containers in said radially extendingseries at the aforesaid dischargel zone of said supply receptacle.

. 20. A vending device of the character described which-comprises: anexternal housing; a

cylindrical internal supply receptacle mounted forrotation about agenerally vertical axis; partition means in said supply receptacledefining a plurality of radially arranged elongated supply compartments,the radially outer ends of said supply compartments being arranged inperipheral alinement to deine a generally circular `discharge zone, eachsupply compartment being l adapted to receive a plurality ofcontainersin upright-position disposed in a radially extending series; ashelf memberdisposed within each of said supply compartments, said shelfmember being provided with an upwardly extending pressure plate memberslidably mounted thereon for vmovement in a radial. direction andbiasing means operatively associated with said pressure plate membertobias the same radially outwardly; a coin-controlled dispensing membermounted on said external housing and provided with a' dispensing openinglocated adjacent the aforesaid discharge zoneof said supply receptacleand a movable door member adapted for movement between positionscovering and exposing said aperture; a stop member xedly secured to saidhousing and extending downwardly into said supply receptacle at aposition intermediate the two outermost containers in a radiallyextending series at the aforesaid discharge zone of said supplyreceptacle, the partition means defining said plurality of radiallyarranged elongated supply compartments being each provided with aslotted opening located at the same radial separation from said verticalaxis as said stop member, through which said stop member may pass -uponrotation of said'rece'ptacie with respect to said housing; and anactuating member extending exteriorly of said housing and associatedwith said supply receptacle for eiecting rotation thereof whereby saidaperture may be placed in alinement with any one of said supplycompartments. i

MILLER S.' KING.

